Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toilets, and, in particular, toilets capable of detecting the volume of material added to the toilet bowl.
Background of the Invention
In a toilet configured to refill the toilet bowl up to a point that is below a trap way overflow level, a level sensor may record a level change corresponding to a volume of waste deposited in the toilet bowl. Measuring the urination and defecation volumes may be useful for clinical monitoring as well as for at-home health trending and diet monitoring.
Various level sensors have been proposed for measuring human waste in toilets including capacitive level sensors and laser-based level sensors. One option is the use of laser sensors. However, laser sensors are complicated to integrate and the transition beam has only a linear dependence on the liquid level. A laser potentially requires two ports: laser in and reflection out. Furthermore, a laser is quite sensitive to waves.
In summary, a better location for a toilet bowl level sensor is needed. A level sensor that is sensitive to small changes in volume, causes low hysteresis, and is both easily installed and serviced is also needed.